Royal workshop progress

As you may be aware, work has come to halt on the royal estate for the time being as the new workshop is being constructed. Tis neither a shed (pah!) nor a listed building (as some have suggested), but a humble garage or gar-age as my grandmother who spent most of her married life in India would have said (it would've been her birthday today, so I'll sneak in a crafty mention).

Let me show you the veritable dump I used to work in - now be prepared, it's not a pretty sight and is somewhat embarrassing.

OK, so those two wardrobe doors weren't always there in front of my dyeing paraphernalia, but you get the idea - I had to jump over bikes, barbecues, cardboard boxes etc.

And no matter how I tidied it, by the following week, it was back in the same state.

Well, now, thanks to the lovely Nick and Mick of Wildwood Carpentry, the transformation has begun:Check out all that insulation - it's going to be a lot more snug than dragging all the dyeing stuff from the garage to the kitchen in pouring rain.

I did have Nick and Mick all posed and looking busy, but for some reason, the camera didn't work at that precise moment - I'll have to ask them again tomorrow. They were a bit shy about it! But I must say, I'm usually not good with having workmen in the house. I never know about the cups of tea timing scenario and what biscuits to offer etc but these guys are just getting on with it and making their own. I'm a rubbish client!

If anyone in the Berkshire vicinity and surrounds is in need of an electric garage door unit with remote control, I can do you a very good price on a second-hand one in full working order.

Speaking of birthdays, our trip to Sherwood Forest Center Parcs for mum's 70th was lots of fun.

The birthday spread - my sister made the cake.

My mum

We were doing so much cycling, swimming, table tennis, pool, pottery painting, high wires, eating and drinking that there was not a moment for knitting.

However, I gave mum the Branching Out scarf I'd made out of half a skein of SQ Wisp.

And Skein Prince gave his two-and-a-half-year-old-cousin this cat and mouse he'd designed himself:Progress so far on the Retro Rib socks in SQ Blush using Reykjavik colourway:



Did I mention Dad's birthday was back in June? Oh well, they might be ready in time for Christmas!

Slightly sidetracked from Center Parcs - check out the Skein Prince on the high wires:

That tiny blob in the top right-hand corner - that's him! Braver than me.

I fancied myself as a bit of a wildlife photographer while we were there - don't think they're quite good enough to make the Countryfile calendar though!

A haughty duck (I feel a colourway name coming on)

Fluffy Tail

Oh, and if anyone's ever fancied a go at dyeing yarn with Kool Aid, there's quite a good article in the summer issue of Yarn Forward magazine by yours truly:

That's my kitchen, that is!

It's how I got started by following instructions for Kool Aid dyeing by Debbie Tomkies in a Simply Knitting article, so if my article inspired anyone at all in the same way, well, it would more than make my day.

I'm hoping to dye up custom orders due for 11th July early next week (back in the kitchen, luxury workshop won't be ready.)

And finally, a very Happy Birthday to alabamawhirly for tomorrow. I will be catching you up very, very soon... have fun. x

Party weekend

OK, before you read on, I have to warn you, this is an (almost) yarn-free post - other than to say I've spent the evening skeining and skeining with a bit more skeining.

And to just say I'm planning on putting together a 12 Days of Christmas "collection" (the word collection being totally tongue-in-cheek) of yarns and here's the first. It's called Partridge Pear and is in the 4 ply cashmere/silk Lavish yarn:
Now onto other matters. Firstly, the Big New Haircut. It was rather more drastic than I planned going from long, light and a bit frazzled to short, dark and sleek.
My friend Debbie in the school playground said,
"It makes you look much younger"
My colleague Trevor said,
"Have you lost weight?"
And my Body Attack instructor shouted across the class,
"Debs, you could've been on Ten Years Younger!"
(Did I look that old and fat before? Probably, though I thought I was casually glamorous!)
So I think I like it, all in all! Made my day until I got so behind preparing for the party, then got a phone call from school saying Skein Princess had been sick, and then I got jammed in a parking space and reversed into a car with the mother watching. Then had to go back to school a second time to pick up Skein Prince.

After traumas sorted (SPss was fine - must've been running about too much after lunch), the party. Now I'm not sure I know my readers quite well enough to divulge what kind of party this was. I'll drop a few hints - there were 16 guests, lots of wine and nibbles, some games played (no, you're on the wrong track - it's not that pervy!), loads of laughs, a few renditions of "Bright Eyes, Burning Like Fire" (anyone remember Watership Down? And the kind of creatures that featured in it?), my friend Unity won the "Biggest Floozy" competition and £700 was spent. Got it? We're a classy bunch round these here parts! But what a laugh!

Our oldest friends from the New Forest - Guy and Jo and their children - stayed over for the weekend and my good friend Sarah came over with Dave and their girls for Saturday lunch and the weather was actually nice enough to sit outside - and have a giggle about the night before. We all kind of vegged out for the rest of the weekend and took the kids to the Discovery Centre and for a walk along the canal to get them out and about.
In case you're wondering, shadows of the kids fishing in the lake at the Discovery Centre.

I did my best to turn the conversation to yarn at every opportunity - because I am officially a fully-fledged Yarn Bore and proud of it - and even showed them my studio. Well, when I say studio, I mean an old kitchen cupboard (from when it fell off the wall in our kitchen laden with wedding crystal and Calpol) in the garage, an old table and some shelving laden with recycled plastic milk cartons and juice bottles. They did an admirable job at feigning interest.

And finally, I acquired this during the week - AT LAST, I hear you cry (at least if you read any of my earlier posts) - a vintage ball winder from ebay in full working order - please admire:PS The new skein winder arrived. Skein King offered to have a go at winding up a skein to help out... all I need say is that three days later, I had to scrap the yarn. Would he listen to my advice to avoid a tangle? Would he hell! I do have a photo but I don't think he'd thank me! He was only trying to help (I keep telling myself!)